Lord Haarald the Seventh rules the fiefdom of Haaraldria, a land of towering forests, master woodworkers, and proud cavalry traditions that trace back centuries to his Traysian forebears. Though long years of relative peace have softened much of the world beyond his borders, they have done little to diminish the skill or discipline of Haaraldria’s riders. Even now, the thunder of Haaraldrian cavalry is enough to stir old respect—and old fear—throughout Marcia.

Like the ancestors from whom he descends, Haarald is a warrior at heart. He carries himself with quiet authority rather than arrogance, preferring honesty and action over courtly spectacle. Age has tempered him into a thoughtful ruler, though not one incapable of ferocity when those under his protection are threatened.

Yet beneath the hardened exterior lies a gentler soul, particularly where his family is concerned. Few know this side of the lord better than his daughter, Lailin Draemere, whom Haarald loves with a devotion both fierce and deeply paternal.

For much of his life, Haarald never expected Lailin to inherit the fiefdom. That burden—and honour—was once meant for his young son, also named Haarald, whose death altered the course of the family forever. The loss left wounds that never fully healed, though time forced the family onward regardless.

Now, as he watches Lailin endure the grief of losing her own child, Lord Haarald sees painful echoes of his past reflected in her sorrow. Though he rarely speaks of such things aloud, he quietly hopes that she may one day find the same fragile blessing he once did after tragedy: the chance to love another child without forgetting the one who was lost.

For Lord Haarald understands something many fathers never confess—

That grief does not fade with time.
It merely learns to live beside love.